The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 537

New York (1)

“New York is chilly, so dress warmly.”

“The only one who’ll catch a cold here is you, old man.”

Yerim said, glued to the airplane window. The airport we were about to land at was JFK, John F. Kennedy Airport. Named after a president, I think. Airports often have place names, but America seems to like naming them after people.

“The American paparazzi are no joke, so be careful.”

Haeyeon, and even the Hunter Association, had warned me about it several times. The laws are different from Korea, and S-Rank Hunter information sells for a high price, so there are mid-level Hunters and even A-Rank paparazzi with specialized skills. Though, at A-Rank, it’s probably more of a hobby. Maybe some of them were originally paparazzi who awakened with skills optimized for it.

“How does Sung Hyunjae travel abroad so quietly… Ah.”

Sung Hyunjae created a small spark of electricity at his fingertip. He must have fried all the cameras. Does it work on film cameras too? Though most are digital these days.

“Didn’t you get sued for that?”

“Electronics are prone to malfunction. It could have been bad luck, or a quirk of nature.”

True, damaging cameras is so minor it’s practically invisible, so there wouldn’t be any evidence. And he’s not someone you can catch with mere suspicion. It was just passed off as thunder in Hong Kong. Still, some people must have prepared low-grade lightning resistance items; those cases… probably didn’t end well. Literally struck by lightning, maybe.

As always, Sung Hyunjae’s skills were incredibly useful. And rechargeable. Does that mean you could take a refrigerator and air conditioner to a desert island and use them? I definitely have to bring him if I ever go to a desert island.

Since our arrival was going to be broadcast live, I changed clothes and put on some makeup. The good thing about the weather getting colder is that I can wear outerwear. A coat hides my body a bit, so standing among S-Ranks is less embarrassing than in summer. If it gets colder, I’ll get even thicker, while the S-Ranks will still be thin. A coat is the way to go. If you ask why I don’t use cold resistance items, well… I like padding.

“I’m a little nervous! The kids told me New York has Central Park and Times Square. But isn’t a park just a park?”

“Times Square is probably just a plaza, right?”

I don’t really know either. I bet Yerim would have more fun at an amusement park.

“Sung Hyunjae, this is Han Kyul’s bag.”

I handed Sung Hyunjae a child’s backpack. He’ll be in his fairy dragon form the whole time, but I brought the bag anyway. If Sung Hyunjae can fry all the cameras, it’s okay if he occasionally turns into a human.

“Don’t give him too many snacks. Limit his phone use, and make sure he watches age-appropriate TV. Never leave him alone.”

– Daddy…….

Kyul was teary-eyed, not wanting to leave me. But even now, as soon as he starts talking, he’ll say, “No, it’s okay,” and act indifferent.

“Peace, you’re sticking with Yoohyun like when we raid dungeons, okay?”

– Kkeueung.

“Yoohyun, take good care of Peace.”

“Hyung, Peace is an adult.”

“Still, he can’t talk. If he gets lost, he can’t find a police station. Unlike in China or Japan, it’s hard to fly home from here. Peace, you have to stay right next to Yoohyun.”

I looked back at Chief Song one last time. He looked pitiful with an unusually large bag next to him. Sung Hyunjae, and even my kids, didn’t have much luggage, saying we could buy things there. I packed moderately, though.

“Please take care of Yerim, Chief Song.”

“Yes… I can’t promise you won’t have to worry, but I’ll try my best.”

“Yerim, you listen to Chief Song and always stay with him.”

“Don’t worry. I can’t read English well. It’s too much trouble to use a translator every time. When I go abroad, I have to stick close to someone who’s good at English.”

The plane landed at the airport, and only then did Evelyn emerge from her seat. Always neatly dressed, with a warm-looking shawl draped over her shoulders. Evelyn nodded slightly to Song Taewon and me.

“Thank you both for the pleasant flight.”

For a moment, I felt like I had become a flight attendant. She had no luggage except for a small handbag, and she seemed like a well-bred noblewoman who had never done a hard day’s work. And yet, she’s an S-Rank Hunter.

Even after the plane came to a complete stop, the doors didn’t open. Yerim looked out the window and said,

“There are soldiers everywhere.”

“…Really?”

I went to the window and looked outside. As Yerim said, there were armed soldiers. However, that was on the outside; in front of the plane’s entrance, there was a guard of honor lined up. The tall American flag fluttered grandly in the wind.

“Is it because we’re S-Rank Hunters?”

And it’s a major city. I took out my phone and checked the broadcast.

[Following yesterday, twenty-five more S-Rank Hunters are scheduled to arrive in New York today. The U.S. government has demonstrated its ability to provide a stable venue for numerous S-Rank Hunters to gather for the first time in the world—]

The White House was shown on the screen. The party venue was announced, and they kept saying that such a thing was possible because it was America. At the same time, they were shouting that they would give the visiting S-Rank Hunters the best treatment. Of course, there were many people in the U.S. who were against it, but conversely, there were also talks about whether they could recruit foreign S-Rank Hunters on this occasion.

In any case, it meant that America was the best!

“There were tons of S-Rank Hunters at Ahjussi’s gathering too.”

Sung Hyunjae’s birthday party. Well, there’s nothing wrong with being treated well. The plane door opened, and I stepped onto the stairs. The guard of honor began to play music. Ah, yes… thank you for welcoming us. A man in a suit stood between the rows of the guard of honor. He gave us a bright smile. And just as he was about to say something,

– Tatatata!

The sound of a helicopter was heard. At the same time, the military unit beyond the guard of honor moved.

“All H!”

Probably meant ALL H. With the shout, an explosion erupted. Huh. A helicopter was directly hit, and soldiers holding large nets flew up. Just before the nets wrapped around the helicopter, the people inside jumped out. They unfurled a large banner in the air.

[Expel Hunters from American Soil! Awakeners Must Stop Dungeon Raids!]

The translation item works well. Soldiers with flight abilities safely wrapped the helicopter in nets and removed it, and the people who unfurled the banner were arrested. The blond man greeted us casually and introduced himself as Sam Perry, an S-Rank Hunter cooperating with the New York Hunter Association. More importantly, does this happen often? I’ve heard that American Hunter-related facilities are frequently attacked.

“The United States and the New York Hunter Association welcome the Hunters from Korea.”

[Mana Stones are the Devil’s Blood!]

A loud shout was heard from somewhere. Mr. Perry shrugged.

“There are some Awakeners who get caught up in such nonsense, which is quite annoying. But most of them are mid- to low-level.”

Yes… Still, since it’s such an absurd claim, it’s rather comforting. If you say, “You’re a scammer,” I’d feel terrible, but if you say, “You’re the Demon King,” I’d just be dumbfounded. The people around me wouldn’t think, “Could it be…?” but rather, “That guy’s crazy.”

“I heard them shout ‘All H’ earlier; does that mean the people in the helicopter are Awakeners?”

“It refers to Awakeners with stats of E-Rank or higher. Even if they don’t engage in Hunter activities, those E-Rank or higher are treated as Hunters.”

Black limousines appeared in a row. We could all fit in one car.

“Please board by team.”

“Already?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to travel together for the ride.”

Yoohyun said in a slightly lowered voice.

“The destination is the same, so don’t worry. Of course, room assignments will also be based on teams.”

“Hyung is—”

Yoohyun, who was about to mention my weakness, stopped talking. Then he looked back at me with a pitiful expression. He probably wants to keep me by his side, Chatterbox or not.

“How long will it take to get there by car? And this is part of the schedule.”

Within the Chatterbox party’s schedule, I am protected. If I don’t follow the schedule and leave on my own accord without notice, they won’t be responsible for that. But for simple outings, if I tell them in advance and get permission, they’ll still protect me.

“Okay, let’s get in the car quickly. Peace, you have to get in here.”

I opened the car door and urged Yoohyun to get in.

– Kkiuung.

“Good boy. Dad will be there soon.”

I coaxed Peace, who didn’t want to leave me, into the car. Then Yerim and Chief Song got into the second limousine. As the limousines continued to arrive, Kyul grabbed my hand and drooped his ears. Then he flew to Sung Hyunjae with the expression of a child being dragged to the dentist.

– Uuuu…….

“I will take good care of him, so don’t worry.”

Sung Hyunjae, holding the yellow bag, got into the car with Kyul. Finally, I got into the limousine as well.

‘No one’s here.’

I thought at least an A-Rank Hunter would be riding as a bodyguard. Maybe the driver, who’s hidden from view, is a Hunter. I looked at the interior of the car, which was so spacious it felt empty, and sat near the door. As we left the runway, I saw people protesting with signs. Some had a red X over Hunters, and others were dressed as bloodied monsters. Some even wore Hunter name tags around their necks and devil horns.

[Dungeons are a Gift from God!]

[Accept the End!]

[Stop Monster Abuse!]

[Awakeners are the Result of Human Experimentation!]

…Huh? I’d heard the previous claims before, but human experimentation?

“…The U.S. government created Awakeners?”

Well, um. You seem to watch too many movies. I guess the Transcendents and the Source might feel like human experimentation too. It might be more plausible to believe that dungeons and Awakeners appeared due to military experiments and human experimentation, like those people claim.

Still, if they had the ability to create Awakeners, America would have dominated the world.

The protesters soon faded away, and we entered a wide road. The car was unnecessarily large, making me feel a little lonely.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been alone in a foreign country.’

Even when I was kidnapped, there was almost always a guard watching me. Now, I can’t even see the back of the driver’s head, so it’s as if I’ve been left all alone. I fiddled with my phone for no reason. Should I call the kids? No, it hasn’t been that long since we separated. They’ll worry unnecessarily. I’ll just watch the broadcast—

“Did you have a pleasant trip?”

I quickly looked up. A figure appeared smoothly at the end of the slightly darkened seat on the opposite side. It was Chatterbox. Probably. Without a mask or veil, he was wearing a black suit with a white flower on his chest. The face I saw for the first time was slightly gaunt and pale, but otherwise human. His neatly combed white hair made him seem quite old, despite his wrinkle-free face.

“…That can’t be your real appearance.”

“It’s borrowed. Completely dominating it like this takes more effort, though.”

Chatterbox smiled. His face looked familiar; was he a famous foreign actor? Maybe he was a musical actor.

“Borrowed? Did the original owner agree?”

“Of course, willingly. Gladly.”

Was he some kind of fanatic? A chill ran down my spine. It was a feeling closer to disgust than fear. A white mask appeared at Chatterbox’s fingertips. He twirled it around.

“People are amusing, aren’t they? They try to fit others into their own molds.”

“Should I start calling you Ghost, then?”

“Rather than me.”

Chatterbox disappeared. And a long arm draped around my shoulder. Sitting next to me, he continued.

“You’re more suited to the role of the Ghost. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t have a hobby of making underground mazes.”

“My Mist would happily dissect the Ghost and dismantle the maze. He would have made you into a taxidermied doll and cherished you. I was in the role of helping and watching.”

…I felt sorry for Christine and Raoul, even though they weren’t real people. Right, the King of Innocence wasn’t normal either. Only the ending was good.

“So you’re going to make me into a taxidermied doll instead?”

“Please enjoy the funeral.”

He whispered and smiled.

“As promised, your safety is guaranteed.”

Chatterbox returned to the opposite seat and put on the mask. He sat with his long legs crossed, not moving an inch. Damn, I want to open the car door and jump out. A heavy silence flowed for a long time, and a river appeared. I didn’t even feel like looking at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window. It’s just buildings anyway, and I see buildings all the time.

I just prayed to arrive at the hotel quickly. My hand, holding the phone, unconsciously tightened. The light flickered, indicating a call or message, but I couldn’t check it. I didn’t want to reveal my affection in front of the masked face nailed towards me, shrouded in a veil of silence.

In the parched air, the car finally stopped. While I was picking up my luggage, Chatterbox opened the door first. He got out of the car with a grand gesture and stood tall. Camera flashes burst from all directions. The gathered people shouted.

“Chatterbox!”

“Phantom!!”

Amid the cheers, almost like welcoming a famous celebrity, Chatterbox gave a polite greeting to the crowd. The flashes went off again. Expectant voices echoed in my ears, and an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me.